God Bless America: A Patriotic Coloring Book
By: Multnomah
Rating: 5 of 5
The book is definitely geared towards US patriotism, which is quite lovely at its release just before Independence Day (2016). While many of the quotes refer to God, not all do. A number of the quotes are simply about the country and/or about living together without discord. The quotes are diverse and, as I said, interesting.
According to the book, the idea behind the book was to help individuals deal with their fears and concerns about troubles our nation faces today. While I can easily think of many Bible verses that deal with fears, the editors chose instead to quote Adlai Stevenson If America ever loses confidence in herself, she will retain the confidence of no one, and she will lose her chance to be free, because the fearful are never free.
The book is well made with heavy duty paper. The designs are printed on one side of the page with historical information on the backside of the page. I really appreciate this as it allows you to remove a page (at the perforations) and still keep the design and information together in one spot. There are 37 different designs plus the title page, which is also used as the cover art of the book.
This is what I experienced while coloring in and testing the paper of this book with my various coloring medium:
37 Mostly patriotic Designs by nine different artists
Printed on one side of the page
Paper is heavy duty, white, slightly rough, and perforated
Glue Bound
Some designs merge past the perforation but nothing of importance will be lost if you remove a page from the book
Alcohol-based markers bleed through slightly on this paper.
Water-based markers, gel pens, and India ink pens do not bleed through.
Colored pencils, both oil and wax based, work very well with this paper. It is slightly rough with good tooth. I was able to apply thin layers to build to a really good and deep color. I was also able to blend colors easily using a pencil style blender.
Quotes, verses, and cites for the designs in this coloring book are, in order of appearance, by/from:
Benjamin Franklin, Francis Scott Key (The Star-Spangled Banner), Currency Motto, Thomas Jefferson (1), Douglas MacArthur, Pledge of Allegiance, George S. Patton, Cesar Chavez, Lady Bird Johnson, Samuel Francis Smith (My Country, ‘Tis of Thee), Proverbs 14:34, Paul Revere (via Midnight Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow), Leviticus 25:10, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., Katharine Lee Bates (America the Beautiful), Herbert Hoover, John F. Kennedy, Clara Barton, National Park Service, Eleanor Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony, Julia Ward Howe (The Battle Hymn of the Republic), Frederick Douglas, Preamble to the US Constitution, Teddy Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Rosa Parks, Martha Washington, General Norman Schwarzkopf, Patrick Henry, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson (2), Neil Armstrong, The Declaration of Independence, George Washington and Pledge of the Allegiance (2).